Customer Experience Is the New Price Tag
Rising prices mean customers expect more. See why customer experience in franchising now matters more than menu prices or discounts.
Keep ReadingAs a Silver Partner of the FBR Summit 2025, Tsource is proud to share the story of a strategic technology journey that continues to fuel franchise success. Over the past 2.5 years, we’ve worked alongside Any Lab Test Now, a leader in direct-access lab testing, to assess their technology environment, develop a roadmap, and execute initiatives that are driving measurable results.
Why a Technology Roadmap Matters
Franchise systems often grow fast, but their technology doesn’t always keep pace. When we first partnered with Any Lab Test Now, they were working within a fragmented environment of legacy systems, manual processes, and inconsistent data. This “technical debt” wasn’t just inefficient, it was preventing the business from scaling confidently.
Our first step was a comprehensive technology assessment, designed to identify systemic issues and provide clarity on how to move forward. This assessment served as the foundation for a three-year technology roadmap; a strategic plan aligned with the company’s business objectives.
The roadmap provided structure, focus, and alignment across the organization. It guided IT investments, served as a communication tool for franchisees, and helped prioritize projects that would have the greatest impact. More importantly, it transformed technology from a reactive burden into a proactive growth engine.
Tsource has been a wonderful addition to our team. With their vast knowledge and experience, we have been able to improve our technology infrastructure and get franchisee buy-in on our technology objectives.
— Clarissa Bradstock, CFE, CEO, Any Lab Test Now
Key Results: From Roadmap to Real-World Impact
Throughout our engagement, Tsource delivered several high-impact initiatives that brought the roadmap to life. Two stand out for their strategic value and system-wide benefits:
🚀 Success Story: Franchisee Portal Drives Pricing Precision & Scalability
Originally conceived as a centralized pricing tool, the Franchisee Portal evolved into a comprehensive platform that now powers pricing, visibility, and efficiency across the franchise network.
The Challenge
With nearly 10,000 lab tests and over 200 lab partners, pricing had become a significant challenge. Each franchisee maintained their own spreadsheets, making it difficult for corporate to ensure accuracy or consistency. Manual workflows created delays, errors, and consumed most of their webmaster’s time to update pricing online for the various locations.
The Solution
Tsource developed the Franchisee Portal, a cloud-based system that:
- Centralizes all lab test data into a single catalog
- Supports custom pricing by location
- Automates updates across eCommerce and internal systems
- Eliminates manual data entry and redundant approval workflows
- Serves as the product catalog for their LMS (Lab Management System) / POS (Point of Sale)
The Impact
- Increased pricing accuracy and real-time visibility
- Franchisees gained leverage to negotiate better lab pricing locally
- Freed up the webmaster to focus on more strategic website initiatives
- Reduced update delays and improved operational agility
This solution has evolved beyond a pricing tool; it’s now a strategic command center that empowers franchisees and enables scalable growth.
🤖 Success Story: Ask Alice Enhances Customer Experience with AI
In line with their roadmap’s vision for innovation, Any Lab Test Now and Tsource partnered to develop Ask Alice. This conversational AI assistant helps customers navigate their health testing options.
The Challenge
Customers often needed assistance when selecting from thousands of available tests. Any Lab Test Now needed a more intuitive way to guide users while also leading them to order the appropriate tests.
The Solution
Tsource built a proof of concept using ChatGPT’s large language model (LLM), which quickly evolved into a production-ready chatbot within two agile sprints. Ask Alice:
- Accepts natural language queries like “What tests should I take if I’m always tired?”
- Offers AI-driven, catalog-specific recommendations with pricing and purchase links
- Breaks down test panels into individual components with health context
- Protects user privacy and remains adaptable to future AI innovations
The Impact
- 24/7 customer support that enhances user confidence and engagement
- Faster, more accurate responses for call center agents
- High value delivered with minimal investment
- Ongoing adaptability with a flexible AI architecture
Ask Alice not only improves the customer journey, but it also differentiates Any Lab Test Now as a forward-thinking franchise brand.
Building for the Future
These are just two examples of how a clear roadmap and disciplined execution have helped Any Lab Test Now move faster and scale smarter. Each project builds on the last, reinforcing consistency, reducing risk, and unlocking new opportunities.
Most importantly, the roadmap is not a static plan; it’s a living strategy that continues to guide investment and innovation.
Thank you to TSource for being a sponsor of the FBR Summit. Join us in Austin, TX, October 22-24 to meet the TSource team at this year’s Summit. Register now.
The Only Event Designed Just for Franchise Operations & HR Teams
How can you make an immediate and lasting impact on your franchisees’ success? Find out at the FBR Summit, October 28-30 in Austin, TX. The Summit is an intensive, franchise industry event created just for operations leaders and their teams that directly support franchisees. Don’t miss it!